Carriage mechanism for type-writers.



PATENTED FEB. 28, 1905.

J. B. HAMMOND. CARRIAGE MECHANISM FOR TYPE WRITERS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 11, 1901.

5 SEEBTSSHEBT l.

' mew/ C/ATMES 5,'//AMA iO/VU PATENTED FEB. 28, 1905.

J. B. HAMMOND.

CARRIAGE MECHANISM FOR TYPE WRITERS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 11, 1901.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

M J ma No. 783,482. PATENTED FEB. 28, 1905.

' J. B. HAMMOND.

CARRIAGE MECHANISM FOR TYPE WRITERS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 11-, 1901.

Q/b 17 w 12/60 I" JAME 5'. HAMMOND Edda No. 788,432. PATENTED FEB. 28, 1905.

Y J. B. HAMMOND.

CARRIAGE MECHANISM FOR- TYPE WRITERS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 11, 1901.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

Ja /145$ 5, /7//4MMO/VL7 PATENTED FEB. 28, 1905.

I J. B. HAMMOND. CARRIAGE MECHANISM FOR TYPE WRITERS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 11, 1901.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

(j /WES /7 /l MMO/VU m M w \NR 4 \W m r J- iil i. 1 2 K v Ii Ml. 1 .-bwllii|$1|l|| @s N w Q MK MM v lill! if E UNITED STATES JAMES B. HAMMOND,

Patented February 28, 1905.

PATENT @rrice.

OF CAMDEN, MAlNE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 783,432. dated February 28, 1905.

Application filed May 11,1901. Serial No. 59,796-

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES B. HAMMOND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Gamden, Maine, and temporarily residing at New York, State of New York, have invented certain new and'useful lmprovements in Carriage Mechanism forType-VVriters, of which the following is a specification.

In an application for Letters Patent of the United States filed by me of even date herewith 1 have described a type-writing machine adapted for universal work in printing occidental or oriental languages or in printing the Braille system for the blind.

My present improvement relates to the paper-carriage and its attendant devices as applied to a machine of this character and to other features not strictly confined in their use to this special form of machine.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a sectional view of a type-writing machine with my improved carriage and the mechanism belonging thereto in place. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the escapement and driving means for the carriage, parts being broken away and some parts omitted. Fig. 3 is a rear view of the carriage, the escapement, and driving mechanism, parts being broken away. Fig. a is a plan view of the carriage with parts broken away and parts omitted, this view showing also the relation between the carriage and the printing-hammer and shuttle. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the pointer and erasingshield, showing its relation to the erasingplate of the carriage. Fig. 6 is a similar view showing the erasing-shield thrown back out of use. Fig. 7 represents a part of the means for holding cards or the like. Fig. 8 is a sectional view relating to the arrangement of the pointer and shield. Fig. 9 is a plan view of the arrangement to eii'ect variable spacing. Fig. 10 is a sectional view along the shaft of the escapement ratchet-wheel. Figs. 11, 11, and 11 show the change-gearing mechanism and back-spacer. Figs. 12 and 13 are details relating to the winding mechanism for the carriage-spring. Figs. 14, 15, and 16 are details relating to the paper-roller-controlling devices. Fig. 17 is a detail plan view of a portion of the paper-roller and the paper-feed mechanism associated therewith.

The paper-carriage in its general form and features is substantially the same as that well known in the Hammond type-Writer, it having a paper-receptacle a. and a pair of paperfeeding rolls 6 0, between which the paper passes as it is fed upwardly for the line-space, the printing being done, as in the ordinary machine, by a hammer (Z, a type-shuttlee, and an interposed ribbon.

The carriage is supported by the rollers f at the rear thereof, upon which the back rail 9 rests, said back rail being attached to the end frames h of the carriage. and at its front the carriage is provided with a bar or rockshaft 91, which rests upon a roller 7', journaled in the center-piece frame 7c of the machine. The rock-shaft at its ends is journaled in the arms m, forming forward extensions from the rack-bar of the carriage. The purpose of this rock-shaft will be described more fully hereinafter, it being mentioned at this point to make clear how the carriage is supported and allowed to have its traversing movement.

0cmedge-rimming madam 118171,.The papercarriage is driven from the main spring-drum 0 by a flexible connection q, of cord or other suitable material. The cord is attached at one end to the spring-drum and passes thence to and up between two guide-rollers p, journaled in bearings 4', extending from the frame of the machine. The cord is attached at its other end to a clip .9, held on the back bar a of the carriage. This clip can be set at either one end or the other of the bar by means of a latch t, pivoted to the clip and having fingers or latch-pins a adapted to engage openings o, arranged at or near each end of the back bar. In the position shown the pull on the cord from the spring-drum will propel the carriage to print from left to right, as in ordinary English. By simply raising the latch-piece, pushing the clip to the other end of this rod, and setting the latch again the same pulling force will propel the carriage in the' other direction to print from right to left for the oriental languages or for printing the Braille arranged centrally of the stroke of the carriage, and the driving band or cord passes around either the one or the other of these,

extending thence to the end of the carriage. The clip is formed in two parts, attached by a clamp-screw to the back bar. With this carriage capable of being propelled in either direction by the motor I have provided means whereby the same escapement mechanism is used, this operating constantly in one direction. For this purpose I interpose between the usual escapement ratchet-wheel w and the carriage rack-bar n a gear-wheel additional to that marked to, commonly used in the Hammond type-writer, and by throwing either one or the other of these gear-wheels into mesh with the carriage rack-bar while the other is out of gear therewith the step-by-step movement of the carriage may take place in either direction, being controlled by the same escapement acting in the one direction.

The ordinary escapement gear wheel is shown at a; loose on the shaft 3/ of the escapement ratchet-w heel M. In the present instance this gear-wheel is adapted to be shifted along said shaft to be thrown into and out of connection with the carriage rack-bar 12, while, however, maintaining its driving connection with the escapement ratchet-wheel, which is done by a spline or pin connection 2, extending from a ratchet-wheel 1, loosely arranged on the escapement-shaft and adapted to impart movement to the escapement-shaft from the carriage-spring rack-bar and gear 00 through a pawl 2, engaged by the teeth of the loose ratchet 1, which pawl is pivoted to a disk 3, fixed on the escapement-shaft. By this construction the pull of the carriage-spring exerted through its rack and the escapementgear 00 will place a tension on the escapement ratchet-wheel, tending to move it for its escapement action, and at the same time the carriage can be run back to start a newline, as is well known in .this type of machine, the loose ratchet-wheel slipping around under the pawl on the disk 3.

The escapement-gear w meshes constantly with another and smaller shifting gear-wheel 4, which also is adapted to engage and disengage the carriage rack-bar n. When this smaller gear wheel 4, which I term the change-gear, is thrown into mesh with the rack-bar and the escapement gear-wheel 0c is thrown out of connection with the rackbar, the carriage may move step by step from right to left, the escapement ratchet-wheel moving constantly in the one direction and the action of the parts controlled thereby not being affected in any way, whether the carriage moves on its printing stroke in one direction or the other.

The change gear-wheel i is supported loosely upon a pin 5, supported in the frame, and both this gear and the escapement gear-wheel are provided with grooved bosses 6, receiving pins"? of a lever 8, which is pivoted to a bracket9 of the machine, a finger-lever 11 being provided, connected to the lever and having a spring-pin 12, which by shifting the tinger-lever may be made to engage either one of two holes 13 in the bracket to hold the lever in either position. In one position the escapement-gear m is in mesh with the rackbar while the small gear 4 is out ofmesh, while in the other position the conditions are reversed; but in both positions-the two gearwheels maintain their engagement with each other. It will now be seen that by adjusting the driving-band to connect with either one end of the carriage or the other and by making a corresponding change in the geartrain by which the carriage-rack is connected with the escapement the step-by-step action of the carriage may be effected in either direction.

The disengaging-sleeve 14:, by which the carriage may be rendered free to move in either direction, operates in connection with the spring-pawl 2, as in the well-known Hammond construction. This sleeve is operated by means like that shown in the commercial form of the Hammond type-writer and consisting, as indicated in Fig. 1,-of a rod 15, 6X-/ tending lengthwise of the carriage and connected at its ends to finger-levers 16, pivoted on the carriage-frame at each end. The disengaging-rod passes through a depression 17 in the yoke 18 of the disengaging-sleeve. This disengaging device is common to both adjustments of the machine, and no matter whether the machine is set to print. from right to left or the reverse the disengaging device operates the same in either case, and thus the carriage may be freed from its escapement mechanism without regard to the direction of the printing stroke. The rod 15 is held by links 19, Fig. 1, connected thereto and to the carriage-frame.

Back-space mec/Lmu'.s=m.I have provided back-space mechanism common to both adjustments of the machine, so that the operator can by depressing a key move the carriage step by step in a direction the reverse of that for printing the characters. comprises a back-space gear-wheel 20, the shaft 21 of which is supported in the frame, said gear-wheel meshing constantly with the escapement gear-Wheel 00 in all positions of the latter, it being sufficiently wide for this purpose. This gear is combined with a ratchet-wheel 22, engaged by a spring-pawl 23, carried by a pawl-lever 24, pivoted on the shaft 21 and under tension of a spring 26, tending to hold the pawl-lever in normal position. The pawl is held normally out of engagement with the ratchet 22 by a pin on the pawl engaging a cam-piece 23 fixed to the frame This mechanism so that the carriage may be returned freely to the base-frame at 29 and extends forward to.

the keyboard, at which point a finger-key is provided, marked Back space." Each depression of this key will cause the spring-pawl to turn the back-space gear-wheel 20, and this, through the escapement-gear {0, will move the rack back one step from left to right, or if the escapement-gear m is out of mesh with the rack-bar and the smaller or change gear 4 is in mesh with it the rackbar will be moved one step from right to left, this being backward in relation to the direction of printing. From this it will be clear that the same backspace mechanism is used for both adjustments of the machine, and no separate adjustment of the said mechanism is necessary. This is also true of the disengaging mechanism above described for freeing the carriage, and it is likewise true of the spacing mechanism and the space-key, these operating'in the ordinary way and without special adjustment.

For the use of the blind in printing the Braille system I provide a pointer and an erasing-shield. The pointer 30 consists of an arm having a single point thereon, said arm being provided with a hub 31, adapted to fit on the end of the anvil post or spindle 32 above the anvil 33, which supports the type-shuttle. It is held in position with the pointer extending toward the printing-point by an arm 34. extending from the said hub and having a portion reaching down alongthe side of the crossarm 35 of the anvil, the lower end of said portion being provided with a spring or frietion shoe 36, adapted to fit under the lower edge of the said cross-arm, and thus hold the device in place. To place the pointer-arm in position, its hub is placed on the projecting end of the spindle, and then by giving it a turn the spring-shoe will swing under the edge of the anvil-arm. and thus the pointer-arm will be held in place and the arm 34 will limit the movement of the pointer-arm and determine its exact position, and,for this purpose said arm is provided with an adjustable stop projection 37 or pin, which by coming against the arm of the anvil will act as a means of accurately setting the pointer-arm.

The erasing-shieldconsists of a plate 38, pivoted to the pointer-arm, which may be swung backward, so that it will overlie the erasing-plate .39 of the carriage, upon which the paper will be pressed with the character to be erased exposed through the slot in said shield, so that the operator by erasing the character at the slot can make correction. The shield on its top side is slightly concaved to present a thin portion adjacent to the slot. When not in use, the erasing-shield may be swung to the front out of the way and so as not to obstruct a view of the printing being done.

A scale 40 for the blind is provided by me,

having a series of projections of the Braille system. It is secured to the carriage, and it and the top or erasing plate of the car riage may be swung back from normal positionto expose the hammer for adjustment or the other parts. For this purpose the erasingplate is pivotally supported by arms 41, which are pivotally connected at their rear ends to the carriage-frame. The Braille scale is car ried by arms 42, which are pivoted at 42, so that this scale may be thrown back out of the way when not in use.

The ordinary scale may be used instead of the Braille scale. 3

Means are provided for holding cards to be printed, said means consisting of a series of lingers 42, reaching down from a rock-shaft 43, supported in bearings in standards 44:, extending up at the ends of the carriage from the arms 41, pivoted at 95, to be swung back. These fingers grip the cards between themselves and the front edge of the erasing-plate. The shaft has a forked arm L5 engaged by the end of a pivoted finger-lever 4:6, and by this the fingers may be forced against the front edge of the erasing-plate, or by moving the fingerlever in the opposite direction the fingers can be moved away from the erasing-plate, or the fingers may be swung up altogether out of the way, in which latter case the forked arm would leave the finger-lever. This card-holder or supplemental paper-holder is arranged, as will be seen, above the printing device andabove the paper-rolls, so that it will act to hold a sheet of paper so as to depend therefrom to the printing devices, and this means will hold the paper after it leaves the paper-rolls, so that a line may be printed close to the lower edge of the paper. The release-lever 16 for the carriage is made longer than heretofore and is brought up opposite a thumb-rest 47 on the frame of the carriage, so that by the thumb and finger the release-lever may be operated. This release-lever and thumb-rest are duplicated at the right-hand end of the carriage, so that the carriage may be released by either hand.

ll iwe-symcefeecl-"he line-space feed 0011- I sists of a lever 48, which operates the paper. roll on its forward stroke instead of by its return stroke. This lever is pivoted to a lug 4E9 on the carriage-frame, and its inner end engages loosely a forked arm 50, pivoted to the end of the arm 51 in which the roll is journaled, said arm being pivoted at its lower end to the back bar of the carriage, forming part of the frame thereof. A pin 52 on the pawlcarrying arm 53, which arm is pivoted on the axis of the roller, engages this forked arm. The pawl 54 is carried by this pawl-arm and engages a ratchet 55 on the paper-roller 56. The movement of the pawl is limited by a pin 57, carried by an adjustable clip 58, which has a spring-pin 59 adapted to fit any one of a series of holes 60 in the bracket 61, of segmen- The pawl is held normally free from the ratchet by a pin 62 on the arm 51 engaging the tail of the pawl when the pawl is in norslot 68 in the detent itself.

mal position. It will be seen from this construction that the stop for the pawl is arranged to contact therewith directly, and it is carried by the same arm which supports the paperroll, always bearing the same relation to the pawl in allpositions of the roll. The rollcarrying arm is under tension of a spring at 51, pressing the same toward the other roll. The segment for the adjustment of the stop is arranged to have an opening between itself and the supporting-arm, through which opening the pin 52 extends. The roll is held against too free rotation by a detent 63 engaging a ratchet 64 at the opposite end of the paperroll from the driving-ratchet. This detent may be thrown out of engagement with the ratchet, and the roller will' then be entirely free to rotate. For this purpose the detent is controlled by an eccentric or cam 65, journaled in a block 66, fixed to the back bar of the carriage, to which block also the detent is fixed, said eccentric being in turn operated by fingerlever 67, which projects to the rear through a The detent is formed in one piece with a friction arm or finger 69, which is adapted to bear on a plain rim on the paper-roll, and thus when the detent is withdrawn from the teeth of the ratchet the friction-finger will hold the roll under frictional restraint. This friction-finger consists of an extension of the sheet-metal arm which forms the detent, said arm having -a portion 71 partially encircling the back bar of the carriage. By pivoting the arms carrying the paper-roll at their lower ends the upper part of the carriage is left free for the location of the printing mechanism or other parts.

Variable-space mac/tmtsm; -I have provided meansfor obtaining variable spacing, so that in printing the m or w, for instance, a large space may be provided and for printing the l, for instance, asmaller space may be produced. For this purpose I provide a sliding connection between the carriage and the rack, consisting of a'screw 72 passing through an elongated opening 73 in the rack into the carriage-frame, so that the paper-car riage may have longitudinal adjustment in -re lation to the rack. An arm 74 extends toward the front of the machine from each end of the carriage-frame, and-this is formed as a nut at its forward end to receive a screw or worm 7 5, carried upon the rock-shaft a, the ends of which are journaled in the arms m, rigidly attached to and extending forwardly from the ends of the rack-bar. There is a finger-button 76 on the projecting ends of this shaft, adapted to be held in any position to which it, with the shaft, may be turned by the spring-pawl 77 engaging one of a series of notches 78 in the button. This mechanism is duplicated at each end of the machine. The shaft carrying the worms rests upon the roller before described, journaled on the centerpiece frame. By this construction the shaft may move longitudinally with the carriage and may be rotated at any time to move the paper-holder in relation to the rack in either direction. In printing the m, for instance, supposing the carriage to be moving from right to left, the operator by simply turning the button at either end of the machine can adjust the paper-holder backward or to the right in relation to the rack, or in printing the I an adjustment in the opposite direction may likewise be effected.

The carriage-spring is wound by any suitable key, such as shown at 79, in the ordinary manner. The shaft of the spring-d rum is provided with a pinion 80, which meshes with a gear-wheel 81, fixed to a shaft 82, journaled in the framework. This shaft carries a pinion 83, meshing with teeth 84:, formed on a bar 85, which is arranged to slide in bearings 86, longitudinally of the machine, and is connected with the hammer spring 87. This spring is connected atits other end with the hammer-returning lever 88, well known in the Hammond machine. By this mechanism the hammer-spring will be adjusted simultaneously with the adjustment of the carriagespring. In order to limit the adjustment of the carriage-spring either waythat is, to increase or diminish its strength-I provide a stop device which includes a stop-arm 89, loosely arranged on the shaft 82 and within the recessed face of the gear-wheel 81. This loose stop-arm has its end extending into the range of a stop-pin 90, fixed to the frame, and it is adapted to be moved by a stud or studs 91, projecting from the face of the gear-wheel 81 to engage the edge of the loose arm. As

.the gear-wheel turns, the stud will carry the loose arm around with it until the arm strikes the stop-pin, which will thus limit the movement of the winding mechanism in that direction.

Fig. 13 shows the position of the parts with the movement of the winding mechanism arrested in one direction. If'now it is desired to adjust the mechanism in the other direction, the adjusting action can continue till the stud has been carried for nearly a full revolution of the gear-wheel before the stud will strike the other side of the loose stop-arm to carry the same along with it, and this arm will then have to make nearly a full revolution before its opposite edge strikes the stop-pin to finally arrest the movement. By this stop mechanism a wide range of adjustment is possible.

In order to hold the erasing-shield, with its attached devices, up, I provide a depending extension 92, having a curved edge struck from the pivotal point of the arm 41, said curved edge having a series of notches 93 to be engaged by a spring-catch 94 to hold the said erasing-plate in an elevated position. By this means the plate may be held up for as long a time as may be desired by the operator. The piece 47 on the carriage is provided with two surfaces, so that it may be used in connection with the lever 48 and the releasing-lever 16. These surfaces are marked 17 and 17. The base-frame of the type-writer is pivotally supported at 93 to a suitable base, and by this arrangement the whole machine may be raised and tipped back, so that access may be had to the parts beneath.

In order to allow suiiicient movement of the carriage, the ribbon-spool shafts are not carried down to near the bottom of the machine, as in my former machines. Instead these shafts extend but a short way below the spools and are driven by the ordinary mechanism comprising the shaft 96 and ratchet 97, which in the present arrangement are located at or near the upper part of the machine.

I claim as my invention 1. In combination with a reversible carriage with means for giving it a step-by-step action for printing a single escapement mechanism which is common to both spacing movements of the carriage, substantially as described.

2. In combination, the carriage with means for driving it in either direction and an escapement mechanism operating constantly in one direction, with connections between said escapement' and the carriage, substantially as described.

3. In combination with a carriage, means for giving it a step-by-step spacing movement in either direction during printing, a single escapement mechanism common to both spacing movements of the carriage and a changegear connection between said escapement and the carriage, substantially as described.

t. In combination, the carriage, a motor with an adjustable connection between it and the carriage whereby the carriage may be impelled in either direction, an escapement and an adjustable connection between the same and the carriage, substantially as described.

5. In combination with. a carriage, means for driving it step by step in either direction for printing and release means for the carriage whereby it may be rendered free to move in either direction irrespective of the direction in which it is impelled, substantially as described.

6. In combination with a carriage, means for driving it step by step in either direction for printing and release means common to both movements of the carriage, substantially as described.

7. In combination with a carriage, means for driving it step by step in either direction for printing, and a back space mechanism common to both movements of the carriage, said back-space mechanism operating through a part of the said'driving means, substantially as described.

8. In combination with a carriage, changegearing in connection with the rack of said carriage consisting of two gears constantly in mesh with each other and arranged to alternately engage the said rack, substantially as described.

9. In combination with a carriage, changegearing in connection with the rack of said carriage, consisting of two gears constantly in mesh with each other and arranged to alternately engage the said rack, and a back-space mechanism in connection with the said changegearing, substantially as described.

10. In combination with a carriage, means for driving it step by step in either direction for printing including change-gearing, and back-space mechanism common to both movements of the carriage, said back-space mechanism operating through the change-gearing, substantially as described.

11. In combination with the carriage, a spring-drum and aflexible connection between the same and the carriage, said connection being adjustable from one end of the carriage to the other, substantially as described.

12. In combination with the spring-drum, the guide-rolls arranged substantially centrally of the stroke of the carriage and a flexible connection extending from the springdrum past the guide and adapted to be attached at either end of the carriage, substantially as described.

13. In combination, the spring-drum, a pair of guide-rollers arranged on the frame about centrally of the stroke of the carriage and a flexible connection between the spring-drum and carriage passing between said guide-rollers and adapted to be attached at either end of the carriage, substantially as described.

14:. In combination, the spring-drum, the carriage having the bar extending longitudinally thereof, the clip adjustable from end to end of the bar with the latch for holding it in place and a flexible connection between said clip and spring-drum, substantially as described.

15. In combination with a type-writer carriage having a rack-bar, an escapement-gear meshing with the rack-bar, an escapement mechanism,a pawl-and-ratchet device between said escapement-gear and escapement mechanism, said gear having a splined connection with the ratchet, means for shifting the escapement-gear into and out of engagement with the rack and a second gear in connection with the escapement-gear operating in a reverse direction to the escapement-gear, substantially as described.

16. In combination with a type-writer carriage, reversible driving means for operating it step by step in either direction and a release-lever for the carriage at each end thereof with connections controlled thereby, substantially as described.

17. In combination with a type-writer carriage, a release-lever and a thumb-piece on the carriage arranged adjacent to the releasepiece, substantially as described.

18. In combination with a carriage and its rack, a rod extending parallel with the carriage and adjacent to the keyboard, means for supporting said rod intermediate of its length and means at the end of said rod for adjusting the carriage and rack, substantially as described.

19. In combination with a carriage and rack havlng an ad ustable connection between them, a shaft arranged at the front of the Inachine adjacent to the keyboard, means carried by said shaft for adjusting the relation between the rack and carriage, and connections JAS. B. HAMMOND.

Witnesses:

DUNCAN MACGREGOR, HENRY M. WARBURTON. 

